Chicken and vegetable braise with dijon and tomato

There are very few people in this world who enjoy coming home to spend hours preparing food for themselves or their family. Many of us lack the energy, the expertise or the time and often feel confused and anxious deciding what a healthy or nutritious meal should look like.

The good news is you don’t need to have scores of recipes at your fingertips. Get comfortable with a just a few simple, basic recipes then use the recipes as a base to create new dishes and new flavours.

On its own, this braised chicken recipe is modest, mild and full of vegetables, making it a good family meal. Its flavour is simple so feel free to mix it up. If you don’t have (or don’t like) onions, carrots or celery then substitute them for anything that suits you – fennel, zucchini, parsnip, cauliflower, mushrooms, capsicum or celeriac are all suitable replacements.

You can also make this recipe in bulk and freeze it into portions that suit your family size.

Over the next few weeks, we will use this recipe to create a series of meals that can be put together with little fuss. We will also look at some food safety tips around storing, freezing and defrosting your food.

Recipe – Serves 4

2 medium brown onions diced

6 cloves garlic peeled and sliced

3 stalks celery diced

2 medium carrots grated

2tbs olive oil

500g chicken thigh - no skin

2 x 400g tinned crushed tomato (plain)

400ml water

3tbs Dijon mustard

100g tomato paste

2 lemons - juiced

1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley washed and roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Methods

Heat a heavy based pot and add the oil. When the oil is warm, add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Without letting the pot get too hot, cook these for 3-4 minutes.

Chop the chicken thighs into chunks. If you prefer, these can be added whole – just cook for a little longer.

Add the chicken thighs to the pot and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, water, mustard and tomato paste.

Bring the liquid up to a gentle boil then turn the heat down until the sauce is simmering. Stir regularly to prevent it sticking. Cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is soft, adding more water if needed.